This invention relates to a balloon storage and inflation assembly More particularly, this invention relates to such an assembly having a balloon which is in a deflated storage state for purposes of transport and which carries at least one chemical substance which may be activated to generate a gas to inflate the balloon upon manipulation of the storage and inflation assembly
It has long been known to dispose two chemical reactants, separated from one another, in a deflated inflatable container. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,149,616 to McGuire, a tube of rubber contains an inner tube of a first chemical reactant in the form of a liquid and a quantity of a second chemical reactant in the form of a powder. The inner tube is provided with a mouth stopped with a cork. Upon a squeezing of the inner tube, the cork is forced out of the mouth of the inner tube, whereupon the liquid reactant emerges to mix with the powdered reactant to form a gas which inflates the outer tube.
It is also known to use different chemical reactants such as citric acid and sodium bicarbonate to generate a gas to expand an inflatable pouch. Such an automatic pouch inflation system may be used to dispense a flowable product from a container, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,360,131 to Reyner, 4,376,500 to Banks et al. and 4,478,044 to Magid.
Other U.S. patents describe other arrangements for automatically inflating balloon-like objects. U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,496 to Miller discloses a self-inflating stable plastic figure which is provided with a carbon dioxide capsule having a projecting hollow stem which is readily breakable upon the breaking of the capsule's stem, the released carbon dioxide rapidly expanding and causing the plastic figure to inflate automatically. U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,552 to Clark et al. is directed to a method of making inflatable toys wherein a pellet of carbon dioxide is placed between two sheets of thermoplastic material which are treated so as to simulate a desired figure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,097,542 to Wallin describes a self-inflating life belt provided with a burstable phial filled with concentrated sulfuric acid and placed in a solution of sodium bicarbonate. Upon rupture of the phial, the sulfuric acid mixes with the sodium bicarbonate solution to generate sufficient gas to inflate the life belt.
It has been proposed to use a gas-generating system to automatically inflate balloons for entertainment purposes. However, the shipping and handling of quantities of such self-inflating balloons may result in an undesired accidental inflation of the balloons, owing to unintentional rupturing of a container holding a compressed gas or a solution of one of two chemical reactants in the deflated balloon.
Such self-inflating balloons may advantageously be sold with newspapers, magazines, announcements and other publications. Such a distribution of the balloon requires that they are protected from accidental inflation when transported in stacks of newspapers, magazines or other publications.
An object of the present invention is to provide a balloon storage and inflation assembly wherein accidental or unintentional inflation is substantially reduced, if not entirely eliminated.
Another, more particular, object of the present invention is to provide such a balloon storage and inflation assembly which is easily and inexpensive to manufacture.